Skimming break=hurt the beer?

Since my 1st batch and subsequent boilover-I've been in the habit of skimming off the hot break as it comes to a boil. This has really helped prevent boilovers, but I want to make sure I'm not taking away necessary elements of the wort/beer. I try to leave a manageable amount in the boil, but I do remove a decent amount. Am I hurting the final product by doing this?

I do the same, and am also concerned about the possible effects.

bump

You could instead prevent boilovers using a method that doesn't involve removing anything from the wort... A spray bottle full of cold water works wonders on the cheap end, or for a few bucks you could get some foam control drops and never worry about boilovers again.

Another interesting tip, marbles:

http://www.maltosefalcons.com/tech/phantombrewer.php#20050701

I almost had a boilover tonight - would have been the first in a long time. Some use a small fan but the spritzer bottle seems to be the cheapest and most effective. I'm not a Reinheitsgebot fanatic but adding some surfactant chemical to my beer just doesn't seem right.

GT

When did lifting the pot off for a few seconds become to difficult?

Except for 10 gallon batch guys.

BuffaloSabresBrewer said:

When did lifting the pot off for a few seconds become to difficult?

Click to expand...

When picking up a spray bottle of water became so much easier

brewt00l said:

When picking up a spray bottle of water became so much easier

Click to expand...

+1.

Spray bottle is awesome.

First Wort Hopping. Heven't had a boilover since.

I believe that skimming removes some flavor. I just drop the heat a moment give a good stir and return heat to rapid boil. Everything you add to the wort contributes to the final product so I would leave it all in. I skimmed the foam a couple of times off after straining into my primary and I know that had an effect on my flavor.

brewt00l said:

When picking up a spray bottle of water became so much easier

Click to expand...

Amen
000000000000000

+1 to the spray bottle technique.

Skimming the hot-break before the surface tension breaks might result in chill-haze later.

+1 to necroposting....

What's the evidence that skimming the foam causes chill haze? If anything I've heard it helps remove chill haze, as you're scooping off proteins and stuff.

(In any case, the surface tension never "breaks").

Mike "Tasty" McDole claims that removing the hot break can negatively effect head formation and retention in the finished beer. After all, it's protein you're removing and it's protein that helps with better foam.

according to Palmer Hot Break can cause off flavors, especially in light lagers

it's not just protein, it's also fatty acids

most of it will settle out and gets filtered or avoided by whirlpooling when going to the fermenter along with the cold break, however some cold break is good for yeast nutrients

http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter9-1.html

In general however, removal of most of the break, either by careful pouring from the pot or by racking to another fermenter, is necessary to achieve the cleanest tasting beer. If you are trying to make a very pale beer such as Pilsener style lager, the removal of most of the hot and cold break can make a significant difference.

Click to expand...

in a different section on hot break though he recommends spray bottle to get it to go down to avoid boil overs so skimming prob isn't necessary as long as it's filtered out before going to the fermenter

would be curious to hear about side by side results in a light beer where break material is filtered for 1 ferementer and poured in with the wort in another

I religiously skim the hot break in my wort, just like I would skim the gunk off a pot of Turkey/Chicken soup. Give a taste of either and tell me why you want that in your beer or soup?

I skim as well as spray water and at times I even add some foam control (usually about 1/2 recommended amount) I haven't done any triangle tests on controlled samples, but the beers are normally good and I never have head retention problems.

I always add a drop of foam control to starters so I don't get "beer volcanoes" shooting out of the flask I boil in.

GilaMinumBeer said:

First Wort Hopping. Heven't had a boilover since.

Click to expand...

Exactly what I was gonna say.